Saturday, April 07, 2012

Misdemeanours in high places

"Bertie Ahern, a former prime minister of Ireland, was accused of lying about the source of large sums of money in his bank account by a tribunal investigating corruption. He quit his Fianna Fail party before it threw him out."

"Pal Schmitt resigned as president of Hungary, after Budapest’s Semmelweis University stripped him of his doctorate because of plagiarism. His resignation means that Viktor Orban, the prime minister, has lost a loyal ally who rubber-stamped all of the government’s new, and contentious, laws."

"The treasurer for Britain’s ruling Conservative Party resigned after being caught on video suggesting to journalists posing as lobbyists that they could buy access to David Cameron, the prime minister, and influence policy. Mr Cameron said the party would investigate, but the opposition Labour Party called for an inquiry that was more robust. "

It is evident that unbecoming behaviour at top political levels is a universal phenomenon. It goes unnoticed in a few countries. Even if noticed, it goes unpunished in some countries. India unfortunately is one among these few countries. Where accountability is not enforced, misbehaviour becomes common. Societies / economies pay the price for misdeeds of individuals.